Goat of the Week - Parliament Hill Farms Tuco

For this weeks edition of GotW, I have chosen a really interesting and amusing character.  He is a very distinct and unique looking goat in my herd and is not hard to spot.  His name is Tuco and he is one of our wethers (fixed male).  Tuco was born on a friends farm in 2016.  Tuco is a bigger goat than most in my herd because he is only half Nigerian Dwarf Goat.  His father is one of my breeding bucks (Sky River Meadows Cosmos), and his mother is a big alpine goat named Julia, owned by the Parliaments.  Tuco joined my herd in 2018, and it was a happy day for me indeed!  I had always had a soft spot for Tuco when I would visit the Parliaments, so I was thrilled to be able to offer him a place here.  In my opinion, Tuco is a very special boy with a gift for connecting with people.  I always felt that he would do well in my therapeutic herd, and he sure has not disappointed.  Tuco also seems to have a sense of adventure that I really love about him.  He is always willing to go for a walk - even without the herd, which I think is really cool and makes him super unique.  Goats are herd animals and they do not like to be separated from their herd.  Tuco is a goat that is so self aware and confident in himself though, that is seems he is perfectly content to just go with the flow each and every day.  Oh Tuco, how I wish I could live more at ease like you.

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Each and every goat in our herd here is a very unique and distinct character.  Tuco is no exception to that.  His striking coat colours are just as flashy as his personality.  He is FABULOUS!!  If there was a fashionista in my herd it is Tuco.  His spots change from a soft brown to black as they progress down his back.  He has striking yellow eyes, and he is ALWAYS smiling!  Tuco loves to meet new people and because he is one of the biggest goats in the herd, he usually gets his way by pushing the smaller goats out of his way.  If you want Goat Selfies - this is your boy!  I have more selfies with Tuco than any other goat in my herd I swear.  OK, so maybe he is a bit vain too.  But with good looks like his, I don't blame him.  Besides, who doesn't want a cool goat selfie?  When you have a fun and willing friend to take hilarious pictures with, why wouldn't you?  When it comes to having a sense of humour, he's got that covered too.  Tuco can be a prankster and even recently once body checked me right into a ditch - on purpose.  I did share that video to my personal Instagram account.

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In a therapeutic setting, Tuco seems incredibly gifted at connecting with those who are perhaps struggling with self-image or self-concepts.  Our society is really good at making many of us feel inadequate at times.  From advertising to social media, we are all under immense pressure to fit into some sort of mold.  For some it is these feelings that can really stop us from being truly authentic, and living our best lives.  For me, spending time with Tuco is like spending time with myself.  I can be free to just be who I am without the fear of being judged.  Tuco isn't afraid to wave his flag and be himself and nor should we!  Each one of us is unique and we should all be proud to be ourselves.  I think that is what I love the most about spending time with the herd.  There is never any judgement.  When sharing space with the herd, everyone becomes unencumbered and free to be themselves.  Can you imagine if the rest of the world worked in such simple and easy ways?  

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